River Birch makes bid to take over Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, landfill contract

River Birch LLC, Avondale, Louisiana, has reached an agreement to buy the remaining three-and-a-half years of Waste Connections’, Ontario, Canada, contract to operate the nearby Jefferson Parish Landfill, reports The New Orleans Advocate.  

The landfill will give the company—which also has a landfill in Waggaman, Louisiana, adjacent to the one owned by Jefferson Parish—a stronger foothold in the parish’s garbage business.

River Birch President Jim Ward confirmed Friday that the company had a deal in place, though it must still be approved by the Jefferson Parish Council. Ward declined to divulge the price River Birch will pay for the contract. The parish paid $4.8 million to Louisiana Regional Landfill Company, a subsidiary of Waste Connections, in 2019 to operate the landfill.

"Waste Connections offered and I accepted to purchase their contract," Ward said. According to The Advocate, the move solidifies River Birch as the dominant player in Jefferson Parish's waste collection and disposal industry.

The company already has a contract to collect natural gas from the Jefferson Parish landfill, and earlier this year, the company began picking up trash on the west bank as a Waste Connections' subcontractor after council members demanded Waste Connections improve its garbage pickup performance or risk losing the parish's work.

The earliest the council could take up the issue would be Dec. 9. Several Parish Council members said that they welcomed River Birch's move, though some said they would have to see the details before they formally approve it.

"I think they have a really good mindset," Councilwoman Jennifer Van Vrancken said, citing River Birch's help in collecting gas from the landfill. "They certainly understand the parish is wanting to do things as efficiently as we can."

Councilman Deano Bonano compared the landfill to the parish's two public hospitals: aging assets that other entities could run more efficiently.

"It's something we are going to take a serious look at," he said.